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on his resolve. He opened his mouth to tell her that he was fine, he liked walking, and said, “Sure. Thanks.”
    Damn. How hard was it to say no?
    “No problem.” She turned to her brothers. “I’ll be back later,” she said. “You guys can ride with Gage.”
    “Oh, could we?” Jonah said flatly. “Thanks. That’s great.”
    “You barely fit in my car anyway,” she said. “Now leave. Goodbye.”
    They headed away in a flurry of good-natured grumbling, and Luka sighed. “Alone at last,” she said. “Come on. I’m parked over here.”
    He followed her to the car and got in the passenger side. Since he’d already screwed things up, he might as well try to make the best of it. Maybe he could figure out a way to get pictures of her work. “So,” he said as she started the engine and pulled away from the curb. “My new place could use a little brightening up. Would you consider selling me one of your paintings?”
    She gave him a strange look. “Selling?”
    “Yes. That’s how it’s done, isn’t it?”
    “Well, I guess I never thought about it before.” She smiled hesitantly. “All right. Which one?”
    At least she’d agreed. But this was the tricky part. “I’m not sure,” he said, trying to sound casual. “I only saw a few. Could I stop by tomorrow and look at more of them, maybe…take a few pictures?”
    The strange look resurfaced. “Is that how it’s done too?”
    “I don’t know. I’m winging it here.”
    She laughed, and he managed to relax a little. “I suppose it can’t hurt,” she said.
    “Great. It’s a deal.”
    He glanced out the window, and saw they were already pulling up to his house. How did they get here so fast? He’d accomplished his goal, so he should just say goodnight and go inside. But he wanted more time with her.
    Which was exactly why he should make a clean break now.
    She drove in behind his Jeep. Before he could force himself to spit out an excuse and leave, she said, “This is going to sound weird, but…can I see where you’re going to hang the painting?”
    “You’re right,” he said. “That does sound weird.”
    “I know. It’s just that I’ve never, uh, sold a painting before. If I see where it’s going, I think I’ll feel better about it. Like I know it’ll be safe.” She frowned. “Does that make any sense at all?”
    “Actually, it does.”
    Her features relaxed. “Oh, good. Thought I was going crazy for a minute.”
    “You’re not.” But I might be. It was crazy to drag this out, to actually bring Luka inside, where suppressing the temptation to head for the bedroom and finish what they’d started earlier would be painful. In every possible sense.
    But he would resist. If he didn’t, he’d screw up their friendship—and he couldn’t handle a life that was completely without her.
     
     

Chapter 7
     
    Luka called herself a thousand kinds of idiot as she followed Reese inside. What the hell was she thinking? She actually did want to see where he planned to put the painting. But more than that, she wanted him. Preferably naked and in bed, though she’d take a couch or a floor or any handy horizontal surface.
    It wasn’t even a subconscious ploy. She knew damned well what her intentions were, and what kind of fool she was to hope when he’d made the boundaries very clear.
    But here she was. Hoping.
    She’d never been in this place before. Everyone knew it had stood empty for years—but aside from a faint, musty smell, you couldn’t tell that from the living room. Gleaming hardwood floors, smooth and freshly painted walls, a beautiful stone fireplace that had been recently restored. He’d obviously done a lot of work here already.
    Right now, the only furniture in the room was a couch against the wall, facing the fireplace. She forced herself not to stare at it and envision the possibilities.
    “Well, this is it.” Reese walked toward the couch and gestured at the wall behind it. “I’d hang it right here,” he